Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers have nothing to show from last year’s special legislative session on water strategy for California. But there’s one challenge that cannot be put off any longer: fixing the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The delta is the hub of the state’s water system, supplying water to two out of three Californians and irrigating much of the state’s farmland.Santa Clara County gets half its water supply from the estuary.

Yet the delta is on the verge of ecological and physical collapse. Human population growth and the effects of climate change will only increase the pressure on it in the next decade. This critical natural and economic resource for the entire state must be restored, even if Sacramento can’t agree on a broader statewide water plan.

Signs of distress in the delta are everywhere. A report last week showed severe depletion of several fish species. Last year, a judge ordered cutbacks in pumping from the delta to protect the endangered delta smelt. The order was implemented in December and could cut water deliveries to some users as much as 30 percent this year.

This ecological stress is in addition to ongoing threats of levee failures, sinking lands and other issues.

The first step is stabilizing the delta. To begin, the governor and legislators should expedite a bill passed by the Senate last week that directs $611 million in previously approved bond money to immediate water projects, including flood control, storm water management and levee restoration.

Then they should move ahead on long-term reforms, guided by findings of the governor’s blue ribbon task force. The group issued 12 recommendations in December, including urging that the environmental and water supply functions of the delta be considered “co-equal.” Until now, ecology has been mostly an afterthought.

Another recommendation was to create a broad governing authority with clout and money to manage the delta. It deserves a serious look. Currently, more than 220 government agenciesare involved, a recipe for eternal paralysis.

The task force recommendation for building new storage and conveyance facilities for delta water will spark the most controversy. A 1982 ballot proposal for a “peripheral canal” was soundly defeated, largely because Northern Californians viewed it as a water grab by thirsty Southern California. But today, there’s recognition throughout the state that the status quo in the delta is unacceptable.

The state should assess a so-called “dual conveyance” system for delta water, as the task force suggested. Besides relying on the flow in the delta itself, it would create a canal to divert water for population centers and farms before it enters the delta.That canal, along with some reconfiguring of the delta itself, could reduce the environmental impact of water exports.

There’s room for legislative action. Even before the blue ribbon report was issued, Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto,proposed a comprehensive approach to improving the delta, which is what’s needed. This year, he plans to offer a new, updated version of his bill that passed the Senate last year. It could become a framework for long-term revitalization and management of the estuary.

Last year’s special session debate on water got hopelessly bogged down, leaving dueling proposals forwater bond ballot measures in limbo for 2008. The governor and Republicans deadlocked with Democrats on whether to build major dams, reviving a years-old political schism.

Crafting a comprehensive strategy was worth a try. It failed. But repairing the delta is something everybody should agree is necessary for California. That’s the problem to solve in 2008.

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